The Galleria dell'Accademia, as it is known in Italian, was established in the 18th century to hold masters’ works so that young artists could study them, and remains an important center of art education to this day.

It is also home to a number of famous masterpieces by Michelangelo, including his renowned sculpture David, who stands about 10 feet tall, on a pedestal beneath a skylight.

In the entrance hallway are Michelangelo's four Prisoners, extraordinary marble sculptures intentionally left unfinished by the artist, and adjacent first floor rooms hold marble statues and plaster casts by important sculptors including Bartolini and Pampaloni, precious Late Gothic Florentine art, rare Russian icons, and in the Byzantine Rooms are a collection of gold panels and Florentine paintings.